Breathing Botanicals with Boschetto Cologne Intense

Boschetto Cologne Intense is an ode not only to nature, but also to the history of Olentium’s home island Malta. Boschetto is a testament also to our commitment to using naturals in perfumery. Although we always use a limited palette of synthetic aromachemicals, this fragrance is very high in natural ingredients. Aptly, Boschetto is all about capturing the exuberant greenery of a Mediterranean grove; an antidote to the infinite blue of the sea that surrounds our islands.

Its light-green hue, a natural gift from its botanical ingredients, sets the stage for a sensory journey that may say “cologne” on the label (aka, traditionally the preserve of men), but is for everyone who loves to release fresh, natural, botanicals with the spritz of an atomiser.

Boschetto Finds Roots in Malta’s History

Boschetto’s inspiration lies in Malta’s Buskett Gardens; once called “Boschetto”, which is Italian for grove or small woodland. “I Giardini del Boschetto” was the site of a small hunting lodge of the Knights of St John, who occupied Malta for just under 300 years, and were divided into 8 ‘Langues’ (tongues or languages), of which Italy was one of the largest. Many places on the islands have names derived from French, Italian and Spanish.

The knights took advantage of a naturally wooded valley, enhancing and extending it with their own planting. It provided a pleasure and leisure hunting ground, as well as a welcome, and rare, place of shade in which to escape from the intense Mediterranean heat.

Buskett Gardens surround the castle-like, 16th century Verdala Palace, which replaced the hunting lodge. Its crenelated walls peep above the greenery of Buskett, which lies on the fringes of the area of Malta in which Olentium is based. It’s our local wood, so to say. Verdala Palace is government owned and one of the palaces used on occasions by Malta’s president.

Beyond the Knights of St John, Malta boasts a rich citrus heritage with extensive bitter and sweet orange groves, of which some of the most extensive are found within palace grounds, including Verdala’s Buskett. The fragrance draws from this legacy, infusing the top notes with enlivening red, green and white citrus. Buskett Gardens, a sanctuary from the Mediterranean heat today as back in its hunting ground days inspire the refreshing allure of Boschetto.

We’ve a post all about this citrus legacy, as well as our top picks of citrus fragrances:

Citrus notes in fragrance and Malta’s citrus history
Beyond Bergamot and top citrus fragrances to love all year round

Boschetto Cologne Intense: Decoding its Notes of Citrus, Herbs, and Woods

In Boschetto Cologne Intense, we imagine dawn in this Maltese woodland, when a gentle warmth releases the scent of Mediterranean herbs and scrub under foot and as man and horse brush by. There is a lively citrus fragrance lingering in the air at first light, that is joined later as the sun rises by hardier woodland scents of pine, cedar and juniper and box wood. We take liberties including non-native green and earthier notes of vetiver along with a hint of patchouli to recreate other facets of the Boschetto.

The fragrance opens with a lively burst of seven citrus notes – bergamot, bigarade, cedrat, Calabrian lemon, white grapefruit – surrounded by coriander and herbaceous notes of pine, box wood and juniper. Its heart unfolds featuring geranium rosat and varieties of vetiver. The dry-down of natural, slightly salty-musk ambroxan, along with cedar, tonka, patchouli and oakmoss, captures the sea breeze and sweeter, deep woodland scents that envelop Buskett in the late heat of the day.

The Power of Boschetto Cologne Intense

Despite cologne’s historic association with men’s fragrances, Boschetto Cologne Intense breaks barriers, embracing a modern ethos — a fragrance for all, regardless of gender.

Boschetto unfolds without synthetic artifice, allowing the beauty of astringent citrus naturals to shine. By crafting it along the lines of a traditional cologne rather than as an eau de parfum, we make sure its natural status is affordable. Natural perfumes do tend to cost more than those laden with synthetics.

But, unlike in traditional colognes, we amplified the fragrance percentage to 20% to ensure Boschetto is not a fleeting freshy – plus we’ve added a natural ester fixative. Our 50ml size has leeway for liberal use and we offer a 15ml eau de parfum as well as a natural oil version in extrait strength. A non-alcohol option, the perfume oil is also a moisturising, long-lasting skin scent. If you want to decipher fragrance strengths from brume to extrait, see our guide:

The complete guide to perfume strengths

Nature’s Palette: We call it Boschetto Green

Boschetto’s light-green hue is derived naturally from its botanical ingredients, adding an extra visual layer to its allure. A great many of its botanical ingredients are organic too and in due course, we will be disclosing all materials used in Boschetto natural cologne rather than using the catch-all “parfum” in the INCI on this page (note that product labels will not have space for the entire ingredient listing).

Its vibrant green is a visual representation of our commitment to using natural elements. We’re tempted to call it Boschetto Green – a name for a luxury paint in the future perhaps? Farrow & Ball here we come! For more on perfume ingredients, see: